About

Hey there! I’m so glad you stopped by. I adore writing, and blogging is one of my favorite mediums. But, I write other things, too…

I am the author of dozens of books for teachers, parents, and children, most recently Free Resources for Elementary Teachers {Prufrock Press} a compilation of over 200 pages of links and addresses for things K-8 homeschoolers and classroom teachers can get to use in their classrooms for free.Most of my books and projects focus on igniting a passion for hands-on learning, experiments, science, nature, and creativity in kids – especially gifted kids.

I have a master’s degree in gifted education and spent over ten years as a gifted intervention specialist advocating for the bright {and often misunderstood} children with whom I worked. I left classroom teaching in 2007 to write full time. Learn more about my books and freelance writing.

I never planned to leave the classroom and prayed for nice, average kids, and never dreamed of homeschooling…ever.

Since God has a sense of humor, I now work from home while homeschooling my highly gifted and twice-exceptional kids. And share our chaos with you.

I try to post 3-4 times a week, roughly following a schedule, but as life with four crazy kids can sometimes get out of hand, there are times I lapse I hope you’ll stick with me anyway. If I’m on-track, you should see posts about the following:

Giftedness and Intensity {parenting and homeschooling gifted kids}

Creativity {kids’ activities, sensory play, etc.}

Homeschool {experiments, projects, activities, curriculum, etc.}

Kindness {Random Acts, Raising Kind Kids, etc.}

Family {parenting, cooking, travel, etc.}

Product Reviews/Sponsored Content/Book Reviews

Start Here

If you’re new to the site, you may want to check out some of these series and posts:

Popular Printables and Unit Studies

You can use the search box in the sidebar of the blog or click around the navigation bar if you’re looking for specific topics. And, if there’s something you wish I’d written about, feel free to drop me a line through my contact page. I’ll see what I can do.

My Biography {in a nutshell}

I believe that kids learn best when they are free to explore the world around them, discovering, creating, and imagining along the way. I am passionate about lifelong learning and encouraging a love of education and discovery in children.

I taught elementary gifted kids for more than a decade, first as a third grade teacher, then as a gifted intervention specialist. I spent my days meeting with teachers and parents, and advocating for changes in curriculum and education for the gifted kids with whom I worked. I was blessed to be able to design compelling programs for them based on their interests and passions.

And I watched them soar.

When I became pregnant with my second child, I made the move from working out of the house full time to working at home full time, and took on freelance writing assignments and book projects. My husband and I realized our twice-exceptional son was struggling in a traditional classroom setting and, as we educated ourselves about the different options, we realized that homeschooling made the most sense, and we pulled him out of public school in February of his first grade year.

Throughout my teaching career, I spoke about teaching gifted children at local, state, and national conferences and conventions. Once I began writing for teachers, parents, and children, I started speaking about books, too. I have presented to schools and libraries full of children about science and nature writing, writing in general, and creating science experiments. I’ve spoken to adults about writing for children, writing for the educational market, writing for publication, self-publishing eBooks, and blogging as a profession. You can learn more about my speaking and school visits/library programs on my site.

Now that I homeschool my own gifted children, I continue to advocate for the needs of gifted children everywhere. In addition to speaking about writing, blogging, teaching gifted kids, and science, I now share stories of my own experiences in parenting several very different {from each other} gifted kids. I speak and write about parenting gifted kids, homeschooling gifted kids, and managing multiple ages at home.

I have been married to my husband, Brian for seventeen years and am constantly surprised he puts up with my projects and messes, and still loves me. We met playing softball – me at third base and him short stop {are you surprised to learn that I was once a junior Olympic third base fast-pitch softball playing, home-run leader?} – and he proposed to me by tossing my ring into my glove…a match made in Heaven.

We have four kids and enjoy getting outside as often as possible. Geocaching, hiking, swinging at the park, and visiting nature centers and museums all top our list for family fun. We love to live life and learn every day – together.

Welcome!

Grab a cup of coffee, some of that chocolate you're hiding from the kids, and join me as I learn, experiment, and explore with my kiddos -- and hopefully inspire you a little in your journey alongside smart, quirky, creative kids, too!